MPG Home Design

Mindi Poston Gay, owner of MPG Home Design in Newburyport, is obsessed with chairs. Fortunately, her business caters to an eclectic array of tastes. By Felicity Long

Mindi Poston Gay, owner of MPG Home Design in Newburyport

"We started just selling chairs; I’ve been a collector for years," says Gay. "From a toddler’s bouncy chair to a school chair to a wheelchair, chairs are present at every stage of your life."

Although Gay has added other pieces to her shop, she still feels a thrill bringing an old chair back to life. "At MPG, we’ll take a vintage chair you found at a yard sale or had at home and reupholster it with wonderful fabrics, some of which are vintage, from our store. We’re also a design studio and showroom, so we have pieces for sale."

To top it off, the company now operates out of new digs. "We’re in a derelict motorcycle repair shop that’s been swankified, mixing in a little grit with the glamour," Gay says. "We launched the store in September, and...people from Boston to Portsmouth to Maine have found us."

Of her design aesthetic, she says, "I’m from South Beach and my husband is from New England, so our look is a mashup of clean white with pops of color and rustic New England decor." The combined look is unusual for the North Shore, she says, proving that clients don’t have to go to Boston or New York to get edgy designs.

Gay says the hunt is one of the best parts of her job. "I enjoy finding a neglected, forgotten treasure and saving it. We are very green, and we cater to people who want a lasting piece of furniture and don’t want to buy something new that’s not made locally and that’s not unique." 5 Traffic Circle, Newburyport, 978-462-7500, mpghomedesign.com.

Ashley Scott and Cara Niles of Niles-Scott Interiors also know a thing or two about creating eclectic looks. The duo specializes in residential interior design, though both bring something unique to the mix. "I’m always doing things in neutrals, and Cara is the color girl," says Scott. The designers have worked on oceanfront houses on the North Shore, as well as homes in New York, Florida, and California. Their shop moved into a new space in Beverly Farms about six months ago, and while it’s not an off-the-street retail venue, Scott says, "We have prototypes of the kinds of pieces we can custom design, like pillows, throws, lamps, and fun upholstery fabric samples." 10 West Street, Beverly Farms, 978-927-2500, niles-scott.com. —F.L.